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Slipway
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{{short description|Shore ramp from which boats or ships can be lowered into or raised out of the water}} {{Redirect|Slipways|video game|Slipways (video game)}} {{refimprove|date=June 2017}} {{original research|date=June 2017}} [[File:Marennes 17 La Cayenne Cale déserte 2014.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Boat ramp for boat trailers]] [[File:2020-09-28 003 Batiscan.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Batiscan, Quebec #Photos|Batiscan]], boat launch, commercial fisherman, [[St. Lawrence River]]]] A '''slipway''', also known as '''boat ramp''' or '''launch''' or '''boat deployer''', is a [[Inclined plane|ramp]] on the shore by which [[ship]]s or [[boat]]s can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small boats on [[Boat trailer|trailers]] towed by [[automobile]]s and [[flying boat]]s on their [[Landing gear|undercarriage]]. The [[nautical terms]] '''ways''' and '''skids''' are alternative names for slipway. A ship undergoing construction in a [[shipyard]] is said to be ''on the ways''. If a ship is [[Ship breaking|scrapped]] there, she is said to be ''broken up in the ways''. As the word "slip" implies, the ships or boats are moved over the ramp, by way of crane or fork lift. Prior to the move the vessel's [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] is coated with [[Grease (lubricant)|grease]], which then allows the ship or boat to "slip" off the ramp and progress safely into the water. Slipways are used to launch (newly built) large ships, but can only dry-dock or repair smaller ships. Pulling large ships against the greased ramp would require too much force. Therefore, for dry-docking large ships, one must use carriages supported by wheels or by roller-pallets. These types of [[dry-docking]] installations are called "[[marine railway]]s". Nevertheless the words "slip" and "slipway" are also used for all dry-docking installations that use a ramp.
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